Pocatello Rotary Club looks forward to hosting annual Chocolate Lover’s Affair

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – The community of Pocatello is in for a treat very soon! The Chocolate Lover's Affair, put on by the Pocatello Rotary Club at the Stephens Performing Arts Center, is next Saturday, January 23, from 6-9 pm.

The event features local bakery vendors and their decadent chocolate desserts for tasting. Guests purchase tickets in advance, and chocolate treat tasting is included. Wine will be available for purchase as well as silent auction items.

Many regional bakers have gotten their start at the Chocolate Lover's Affair, including the owner of Shay's Pie Place, Shay Longhurst. She provided 800 samples at the event a couple of years ago when she first began her bakery business.

"I ended up winning that competition," Longhurst said. "It kicked my business into a whole other level. It was a risk to get out into the community, and then by winning, it became a bigger deal than I thought it was, and all of a sudden, people knew Shay's Pie Place."

Mersad Rezaei is the Fundraising Committee Chair for The Chocolate Lover's affair and tells us the event provides a space for both established and upcoming master chocolatiers in the community to connect with customers.

"Our attendees over the past years have loved this event. It's a chance for them to come and sample different chocolates, different brownies, fudge, pastries, and desserts from different vendors around town," said Rezaei.

Some attending vendors this year include Camille's Crepes, Woodland Orchards, and Snow Cookie Creations. The sponsors of the event, including Cole Chevrolet and others, will be in attendance.

The event is a fundraiser for the Pocatello Rotary Club. Rezaei says they aim to raise funds and do good with them.

"Some of the things the rotary club does you've probably seen around town," he says. "We do the Little Free Libraries, which are especially for children and people in the community who don't have access to cars, so they can still have access to books. Literacy is one of our core pillars we focus on at the Rotary Club, so we want to make sure to promote literacy and make it accessible for everybody."

Miss Pocatello will also be at The Chocolate Lover's Affair this year, and she says her personal initiative in the community perfectly aligns with the goals of the Rotary Club.

"I have a community initiative, which is Dyslexia Awareness Through Literacy, which fits right in with the Rotary Club of Pocatello. I'm so excited that I get to be a part of this with them," said Rachele Story, Miss Pocatello 2025-2026.

Story encourages everyone in the community to purchase tickets and come to enjoy some chocolate and music next week.

"I'm looking forward to wearing a beautiful gown, eating some chocolate, and seeing all of the lovely faces in Pocatello that I represent," she said. "Not just that I'm from this area, but that I get to know more of the 60,000 people that live here."

"We start planning normally three to five months in advance before this event, a lot goes into it," said Rezaei. "We're so thankful for our Pocatello Rotary Club for putting this on, there's nothing like it in the general vicinity of Pocatello."

If you haven't been to the Chocolate Lover's Affair before, 2026 is the perfect year to start going.

"It gives people a chance to get out, go on a date night," said Rezaei. "This is the perfect opportunity to purchase two tickets for you and your significant other as a Valentine's Day gift."

For more details about this year's event and to purchase tickets, you can visit https://chocolateloversaffair.com/purchase-tickets/.